Welcome from the Vice-Chancellor

Welcome to the University of Wollongong.

In just 40 years UOW has become a benchmark for Australia’s new generation of universities; dynamic, agile, innovative and prominent in national and international rankings for the quality of our teaching and research.

The University began as an institute for the then New South Wales University of Technology, Sydney at a single location in Wollongong. Since gaining independence in 1975, UOW has grown into an international multi-campus University, expanding to occupy two Sydney campuses and five regional campuses, as well as locations in Hong Kong and Dubai.

With now over 36,000 students, more than 2,400 staff, and an economic impact of around $2 billion in activity annually, UOW is an influential part of its communities and the catalyst for Wollongong’s transformation into a University city.

Our students and staff come from diverse backgrounds, and we welcome many international students to our campuses each year. They share a culture that respects openness, inclusiveness, collegiality and diversity.

I am proud of our talented, motivated and energetic staff—many of whom are leaders in their field nationally and internationally. We aim to align our academic community and graduates with national priorities, and are focussed on producing outstanding research that addresses the complex social, environmental and economic challenges that we face now and into the future.

In anticipating the nature of emergent industries and the jobs of the future, we aim to develop graduates who are ethical, mobile, technologically literate and ready for multicultural workplaces. We encourage creative and critical thinking, and encourage our students and staff to challenge and cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines and create truly interdisciplinary partnerships.

We’ve focused our efforts to ensure that the UOW curriculum is intellectually challenging, models critical inquiry and real-world practice, and is delivered in technology-rich and immersive environments.

We are a young and vibrant university with a strong sense of who we are, and where we are going.

I invite you to learn more about the University of Wollongong through the pages of this site, or by contacting a member of staff to speak with us.